Ive been visiting this site since i got my husky about 2 years ago, Misty. Shes become such a huge part of my life and ive been loving each day with her. As a first time dog owner i didnt know what i was getting myself in to, but having her for a little less than 2 years i wouldnt choose any other breed. I take her to the dog park literally every day for about 2 hours, and take her to the river occcasionally also. I never thought my first post on this site would be like this, however , two days ago what was supposed to be a regular day at the dog park turned in to a nightmare. A lady with 2 dogs is coming in and as usual misty and the other dogs are there by the door to see who the newcomers are...the lady opens the gate and there is a "safety" area to make sure none of the dogs run out. As soon as she opened it misty and another dog run out in to the safety area..i didnt think much of it but still i rushed over to get her back in to the park as soon as the lady opened that gate her little son comes in from the parking lot and opens the "second" gate which is there to prevent the dogs from running out onto the street. This is where things took a turn for the absolute worse, misty rushed out both gates and onto the main street, my heart in knot i called out to her (this is where i feel like i made my mistake and regret it everyday) she had safely made it in to an island type of area in the middle of the street when i called her name to come back..she looked back and immediately rushed back over to me. This is where things get cloudy and i dont quite remember as i was in utter disbelief. a suv traveling about 10-20mph strikes misty as she is running back over to me. All i remember is a thud and 5 seconds of horrific silence then i heard her scream in pain. Everyone in the park runs on to the street and a friend of mine picks misty up and just says lets go lets go we rush her into my car and rush to the vet. Since this post is already getting to be long i'll cut it short and just end it with a vet bill of $1,800 and my fall semester tution savings now gone misty is still here with us. Now my question is this what does recovery time look like? it breaks my heart seeing her like this with no excersice and no pla time at the dog parl every day that shes so used to. She has no broken bones but has one MAJOR laceration on her front leg and 3 some lacerations on each other leg. Any help in a timetable of recovery and/or what activties i should be doing with her right now to keep her happy would be greatly appreciated as i HATE seeing her like this. Here are some pictures of the princess

I'm so sorry this happened! She's a beautiful girl.

I see a cast on her leg, so I'm assuming a broken leg, but what other injuries does she have? If you can't exercise her like you're used to, try mentally stimulating her with games she can do laying down. Take a few paper cups, place a treat under one and have her "find" the treat. Petco/Petsmart have treat puzzles that might work for her.

Sorry but I don't know what kind of recovery time you're looking at as I've never experienced anything like what you're going through.

What a scary situation! OMG, I can't even imagine. I felt bad yelling at this little boy for opening the same gate while I was in the "safety" area with my girls. I know I scared the heck out of him and may have made him cry even though I didn't mean to. It just scared the heck out of me when he opened it and my two were off lead!

I don't really know how much time it will take her to heal, but I know when you spay a dog it doesn't take terribly long for them to heal. I would just play with her around the house. Does she like to play with tug toys? Maybe take this time to do a lot of training with her. Training for about 30mins will tire a dog out just about the same as 30mins at the dog park. Not really physically tired, but mentally.

She is beautiful. I'm glad she made it through relatively unharmed!

$1800 with no broken bones! Oh my...

I currently have a cat with a broken leg who has been in the cast for 12 weeks! And my understanding is that cats heal fast. I've never had a dog with a broken leg. bumps, bruises and scrapes tend it heal fast, I believe, if properly cared for.

Poor baby girl! She is beautiful. Welcome!

Thanks for the replys guys, makes me feel alot better to vent about the situation! She does not have any fractures thank god. The cast is not actually a cast but more of a wrap. Thats where the major laceration is and the doctor wants to keep that wrapped up even though it is sutured. She has been changing the wrap every 2 days...The thing is misty has not been her usual happy/energetic self, i know its expected shes in pain but she doesnt seem to wag her tail or want to even try to play:/ she really just sleeps all day or just lays there looking depressed. She still likes her treats though so i'll try to do some sit/stay training (since thats all she can really do with that wrap around her) haha

SabakaMom wrote:

I've never had a dog with a broken leg. bumps, bruises and scrapes tend it heal fast, I believe, if properly cared for.

That makes me feel alot better! and yes, $1,800 sadly:/ chraged me for xrays, "surgery", emergency visit, one night stay, anesthesia etc etc...lol.

Sorry i dont have much to offer as in recovery time but really wanted to say that im sorry for your girl and i really do hope she has a speedy recovery :-)

I know when i have had surgery or been hospitilized the last thing i wanna do is get up and about,so i wouldnt be too concerned about your girl sleeping and looking depressed ,the more she sleeps the better for her body to heal..

Your girl will let you know when she is ready ,as mine did when they have had surgery for various things.

Looks like there has been some good advice already with trying to keep your girl busy with treat games :-)

Wishing you the best of luck and sorry i am not much help..

I am so sorry this happened to you dog, and btw she is absolutely gorgeous! I hope she continues to mend.

This story made me tear up. I can so relate, because mine run into the safety gate all the time and I fear that one day they could get out.

This is why they have sign's that children under a certain age cannot be in the dog park. Irresponsible parenting at it's finest right there. Granted it wasn't the child's fault because he didn't know any better, but it was for sure the mother's. Did she offer to help pay or even give her apologies?

I'm not sure on recovery time, but my pup had a surgery month's back where he had to have a GI surgery and it took about 2 weeks before he was 100%.

I'll scratch what I was gonna say about the kid and mom. It's irrelevant now.


As far as recovery time, I'm sure you're looking at 12-16 weeks of slow going. After the cast is removed and everything seems back on the mend, I would take another 60-90 days gradually working up the activity level. Age would also factor into how fast I go about the rehab after cast. A younger dog might be able to handle a 30-45 day progression of exercise. But it would definitely be at least a month before I even tried normal things again.

This has happened to me (minus the getting hit part) and it wasn't a child, it was adults. I hate stupidity all the time but when something as obvious as a two gate system is not apparent to an adult I just want to cap them and remove the world of the possible propagation of defective genes.

Oh and then there's the bringing of food or treats in and causing a blood bath.

If any of my dogs ever get hurt by this type of negligence you can rest assured you'll hear about me on the news.

So glad you girl is healing, your vet would be the best person to ask about recovery, the last thing you want to do is rush it, she will let you know when she is ready. Were tendons messed up or any other soft tissue tears? Those can be worst than a broken bone to heal.

As for that lady and her son I would find out who she is and server her you medical bill to pay. What about the lady that did hit her has she offered any help? Don't beat yourself up for calling her back to you I'm sure many of us would have done the same thing knowing they could just keep running.
And when she is healed and can go back to the park be that person yelling at others about the gate or hold her back while someone is coming in. We do it all the time during our meet ups, better to be that "crazy" husky owner then no husky owner. Keep us posted on how she is doing

Some may remember this happening to me. 7pm one night some kids came into the park to see their mom and left both gates open and Koda took off up a hill and it was the first time he ever got out of my sight. Thankfully he didn't get hurt, though I am shocked I survived as I ran 20 red lights speeding trying to see where he went after going up the hill (was right across the street behind the feed store! Husband's friend called us after seeing him!). I'm so sorry this happened to you, I know how scared and frustrated I was (I have anger issues and threw the kids into the fence on my way out.... But they were like 10 so not super young- so don't feel so bad about yelling haha), I would have had a mental breakdown if he got hit.

I wish him a speedy and comfortable recovery. I'd try to find the parent at the park and discuss the bill with her since it was due to her negligence.

jbealer wrote:

What about the lady that did hit her has she offered any help?

Just wanted to add a word of advice here. Be careful about contacting the person driving. I used to work in insurance claims and when one of our insured's hit a dog we were required to try to get the dog owner's information so the insurance company could seek reimbursement for the vehicle damages from the dog owner.

But I would absolutely go after the woman who's child let your dog out to begin with. It really isn't the child's fault, but a little financial pain and maybe the mother will be a better teacher to her child.

So sorry to hear about this terrible incident. Your in our thoughts and prayers.

dbingham12 wrote:

jbealer wrote:

What about the lady that did hit her has she offered any help?

Just wanted to add a word of advice here. Be careful about contacting the person driving. I used to work in insurance claims and when one of our insured's hit a dog we were required to try to get the dog owner's information so the insurance company could seek reimbursement for the vehicle damages from the dog owner.

I always figured that you couldn't go after a driver if they hit your dog was loose. Is that not the case? In my mind, it's an offleash, uncontrolled dog (note to OP, 100% know this is not know your fault and with this statement I am not trying to say it is at all, I'm just saying in legal terms) and a driver sometimes has no time to react to a dog sudden going across the street as it's not exactly expected- so I'd think you'd get a "too bad, should have made sure it was under your control" if trying to pursue something like that.

dbingham12 wrote:

jbealer wrote:

What about the lady that did hit her has she offered any help?

Just wanted to add a word of advice here. Be careful about contacting the person driving. I used to work in insurance claims and when one of our insured's hit a dog we were required to try to get the dog owner's information so the insurance company could seek reimbursement for the vehicle damages from the dog owner.

just to restate, i asked if the lady offered any help, not for her to go after the driver for reimbursement, i know it was not her fault (driver) that goes to the lady with the kid, i was just wondering because if i had hit someones dog i would at least offer some help or something.

My heart goes out to you. I don't know this feels, but I do know what it is like to be panicking with your dog in the ER. A month or so back, Delilah was in the ER for Anaphylactic shock and very well could have died, thank god we got her there in time. For days after she was drugged and mentally exhausted - It cheered me up just on the off chance that she would wag her tail or lick my hand.

For something as minute as that, it took her a few weeks to get in good condition. That being said, i would go very slowly with her. Invest in some high quality chews for her, I suggest antlers with the marrow exposed and some Raw Meaty Bones - this will at least give her something to do, instead of laying around all day.

Do they have her on any pain medication?

As for the people involved, I won't be surprised if they don't offer help - people have a way of failing to realize their mistakes. If they do, that is wonderful - but, if not you still have a lot of support and can do it on your own.

If you don't have insurance, I suggest it. I have it and I thank god I purchased it.

Thanks everyone, you guys are great! To answer a few questions, yes, some of you are correct in that i could technically be responnsible for any damage to the drivers car. That is what the vet told me since Misty was "at large". The thing that gets me mad is the driver didnt even care to stop and see what happened even though everyone else on the street stopped and one couple even offered to take her in their car even though she was gushing blood everywhere. The car that hit her however slowly creeped away as if no one would notice. As for the woman at the park i did not talk to her because i was literally in shock and did not know what to do, thankfully i had friends at the park who jumped into action and picked misty up and held her the entire ride to the vet...I havnt been back to the park yet but i'll ask and see if any of the regulars got any info abut her just in case.

As for medication, shes on Antibiotics and Pain meds--the vet initially prescribed Augmentin but my dad who is a Pharmacist insisted she switch the prescription to Keflex as he said this is much better in treating skin and wound infection, thoughts?

How scary!!! I'm glad that your girl is OK though. Could have been so much worse. I'm SO PARANOID about the gates at the dog park. The furthest I go is a few feet away and the minute my dogs run to say hello to the new dogs entering I'm right behind them holding them until the people come in. People look at me like I'm crazy, but oh well.

I hope she heals quickly. Poor baby

eurocoupe wrote:

Thanks everyone, you guys are great! To answer a few questions, yes, some of you are correct in that i could technically be responnsible for any damage to the drivers car. That is what the vet told me since Misty was "at large". The thing that gets me mad is the driver didnt even care to stop and see what happened even though everyone else on the street stopped and one couple even offered to take her in their car even though she was gushing blood everywhere. The car that hit her however slowly creeped away as if no one would notice. As for the woman at the park i did not talk to her because i was literally in shock and did not know what to do, thankfully i had friends at the park who jumped into action and picked misty up and held her the entire ride to the vet...I havnt been back to the park yet but i'll ask and see if any of the regulars got any info abut her just in case.

As for medication, shes on Antibiotics and Pain meds--the vet initially prescribed Augmentin but my dad who is a Pharmacist insisted she switch the prescription to Keflex as he said this is much better in treating skin and wound infection, thoughts?

What pain med? This will probably make her a bit loopy, so until she is off of the - don't expect her personality to be showcased. Keflex is a broad spectrum antibiotic and is very strong - just be careful with it long term. It should work though. Personally, I would have followed the vet, simply because Augmentin is strong enough to PREVENT infection - I would use Keflex to treat. Just my opinion.

Heather! wrote:

dbingham12 wrote:

jbealer wrote:

What about the lady that did hit her has she offered any help?

Just wanted to add a word of advice here. Be careful about contacting the person driving. I used to work in insurance claims and when one of our insured's hit a dog we were required to try to get the dog owner's information so the insurance company could seek reimbursement for the vehicle damages from the dog owner.

I always figured that you couldn't go after a driver if they hit your dog was loose. Is that not the case? In my mind, it's an offleash, uncontrolled dog (note to OP, 100% know this is not know your fault and with this statement I am not trying to say it is at all, I'm just saying in legal terms) and a driver sometimes has no time to react to a dog sudden going across the street as it's not exactly expected- so I'd think you'd get a "too bad, should have made sure it was under your control" if trying to pursue something like that.

Yes, legally speaking and as the OP already knows, you are responsible for any and all damage your dog does while, as the OP put it, "at large." This includes damage to vehicles that hit them. I personally think this sucks, because with an animal that is not owned (i.e. a deer or other wild animal) it is the driver's fault.

Also sucks that the driver didn't even stop and offer any assistance of any kind. Hell the least they could have done was say they were sorry!

At any rate, I just wanted to ensure that people who end up with an injured or dead dog as a result of this type of situation don't end up with the added insult of having to pay for the driver's vehicle damage!

So sorry this happened. I am glad she is ok and that the injuries aren't too serious. I hope her recovery is speedy. I imagine it will take her a bit to come around to her old self, but I am sure she will get there.

In New York, if a driver hits your dog for what ever reason and the driver STOPS he/she can hold you responsible for damages.
If they DON'T STOP, and you find out who hit the dog they can be charged with hit and run, but I'm not aware if they can be held responsible for harm to the dog.

dbingham12 wrote:

Yes, legally speaking and as the OP already knows, you are responsible for any and all damage your dog does while, as the OP put it, "at large." This includes damage to vehicles that hit them. I personally think this sucks, because with an animal that is not owned (i.e. a deer or other wild animal) it is the driver's fault.

The driver who hits a wild animal is not at fault. You turn those type of accidents in on your comprehensive insurance not collision. Comprehensive includes vandalism, hail, thievery...things like that. Your comprehensive rates will rise IF you have too many of these type of occurrences in a short period of time. The insurance company does not blame the driver for hitting animals nor does the police.

A loose dog or cat or horse would be no different for the driver than if he hit a wild animal with the exception that the domestic animal has an owner who will most likely be inconvenienced in some way.

Here4thePics wrote:

If they DON'T STOP, and you find out who hit the dog they can be charged with hit and run, but I'm not aware if they can be held responsible for harm to the dog.

This-- I have actually heard this as well. Regardless i am just glad she is okay and most importantly alive! We go to vet tommorow to change her bandage (another $57 ugh) and we'll see how well the laceration is healing